We have had an incredible three days of filming at the Southern Theater as we partner with talented Somali youth from Mary’s Place to create a Somali Video Documentary project that tells the story of the long and difficult journey “From Mogadishu to Mary’s Place” by focusing on the themes of “home” and “identity.” There are seven Somali youth who make up the film crew: Hussein, Amadi, Mohamed, Abdullahi, Fatuma, Esma and Saida. There are seventeen Somalis ages 12 and up who were interviewed and shared their remarkable insights on these themes. A huge thank you to Badra who is doing all the translation work for the project. Artist Mentors helping guide the project are Chad, Mark, Lee and Travis. We are filming the interviews at the Southern Theater over three days – February 24, 25, 26 and hope to have a first screening of the film at Mary’s Place at the end of April. The whole project is created in partnership with Mary’s Place and with the collaboration and support of Mary’s Place staff. The primary goal of the project is to empower Somali youth from Mary’s Place by teaching them the skills and techniques of film making and helping them discover their own value and creative voices. The second goal is to create a video project that will bring awareness about the beauty and resilience of the Somali culture and break down the barriers that often keep us apart.
Read more about the origins of this project and partnership with Mary’s Place.
The project is funded through an Arts Activities Grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC), made possible by the voters of Minnesota thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
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